Golf club head or other ball striking device with weighted body member

ABSTRACT

A ball striking device, such as a golf club, includes a head that includes a face having a ball striking surface configured for striking a ball and a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face. A face member formed primarily of a metallic material forms the face, and a body member is connected to the face member and extends rearward from the face member to form at least a portion of the body. The body member is formed at least partially of a polymer material, and has a doped portion containing a doping material dispersed within the polymer material. The doping material may have a different density than the polymer material, such that the doped portion has a different density than the portions of the body member not containing the doping material. A co-molding method may be used to form the ball striking device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/493,507,filed Apr. 21, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/621,762, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,630,072, filed Feb. 13, 2015,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/485,329,now U.S. Pat. No. 8,968,114, filed May 31, 2012. This application claimspriority to and the benefit of all of the above listed applications,which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to ball striking devices, such as golfclubs and heads. Certain aspects of this invention relate to golf clubsand golf club heads having a body member connected to a face member,with the body member having strategic weighting.

BACKGROUND

Golf is enjoyed by a wide variety of players—players of differentgenders, and players of dramatically different ages and skill levels.Golf is somewhat unique in the sporting world in that such diversecollections of players can play together in golf outings or events, evenin direct competition with one another (e.g., using handicapped scoring,different tee boxes, etc.), and still enjoy the golf outing orcompetition. These factors, together with increased golf programming ontelevision (e.g., golf tournaments, golf news, golf history, and/orother golf programming) and the rise of well known golf superstars, atleast in part, have increased golfs popularity in recent years, both inthe United States and across the world.

Golfers at all skill levels seek to improve their performance, lowertheir golf scores, and reach that next performance “level.”Manufacturers of all types of golf equipment have responded to thesedemands, and recent years have seen dramatic changes and improvements ingolf equipment. For example, a wide range of different golf ball modelsnow are available, with some balls designed to fly farther andstraighter, provide higher or flatter trajectory, provide more spin,control, and feel (particularly around the greens), etc.

Being the sole instrument that sets a golf ball in motion during play,the golf club also has been the subject of much technological researchand advancement in recent years. For example, the market has seenimprovements in golf club heads, shafts, and grips in recent years.Additionally, other technological advancements have been made in aneffort to better match the various elements of the golf club andcharacteristics of a golf ball to a particular user's swing features orcharacteristics (e.g., club fitting technology, ball launch anglemeasurement technology, etc.).

Despite the various technological improvements, golf remains a difficultgame to play at a high level. For a golf ball to reliably fly straightand in the desired direction, a golf club should meet the golf ballsquare (or substantially square) to the desired target path. Moreover,the golf club should meet the golf ball at or close to a desiredlocation on the club head face (i.e., on or near a “desired” or“optimal” ball contact location) to reliably fly straight, in thedesired direction, and for a desired distance. Off-center hits thatdeviate from squared contact and/or are located away from the club'sdesired ball contact location may tend to “twist” the club face when itcontacts the ball, thereby sending the ball in the wrong direction,often imparting undesired hook or slice spin, and/or robbing the shot ofdistance. Accordingly, club head features that can help a user keep theclub face square with the ball, such as by reducing twisting, would tendto help the ball fly straighter and truer, in the desired direction, andoften with improved and/or more reliable distance.

Various golf club heads have been designed to improve a golfer'saccuracy by assisting the golfer in squaring the club head face atimpact with a golf ball. When the club face is not square at the pointof engagement, the golf ball may fly in an unintended direction, mayfollow a route that curves left or right, ball flights that are oftenreferred to as “pulls,” “pushes,” “draws,” “fades,” “hooks,” or“slices,” and/or may exhibit more boring or climbing trajectories. Thedistance and direction of ball flight can also be significantly affectedby the spin imparted to the ball by the impact with the club head.Additionally, the spin of the ball can change the behavior of the ballas it rolls and bounces after impact with the ground. Various speeds anddirections of spin on the ball can be a product of many factors,including the point of impact, the direction of the club head uponimpact, the degree of twisting of the club head upon impact, and thelocation of the center of gravity of the club head.

The energy and velocity transferred to the ball by a golf club also maybe related, at least in part, to the flexibility of the club face at thepoint of contact, and can be expressed using a measurement called“coefficient of restitution” (or “COR”). The maximum COR for golf clubheads is currently limited by the USGA at 0.83. Generally, a club headwill have an area of highest COR response relative to other areas of theface, which imparts the greatest energy and velocity to the ball, andthis area is typically positioned at or near the geometric center of theface. In one example, the area of highest response may have a COR thatis equal to the prevailing USGA limit which is currently 0.83 and maychange over time. However, because golf clubs are typically designed tocontact the ball at or around the center of the face, off-center hitsmay result in less energy being transferred to the ball, decreasing thedistance of the shot.

The weighting and weight distribution of a golf club head may alsoinfluence the energy and velocity transferred to the ball by the impact,as well as the moment of inertia and the center of gravity of the clubhead. The moment of inertia of the head can be increased, for example,by distributing a greater amount of weight around the perimeter of thehead. This, in turn, can reduce the amount of twisting of the club headthat occurs on off-center hits, and increase the distance and accuracyof shots on off-center hits. Likewise, the location of the center ofgravity of the head can be influenced by the weight distribution of thehead. Generally, the desired contact area of the face is aligned withthe center of gravity of the head. However, it may be desirable to shiftthe location of the center of gravity of the head, such as to adjust forcommon off-center hitting patterns by a golfer, or to produce a certainshot characteristic (e.g., to induce a hook, slice, draw, fade, etc.).Additionally, different clubs having different loft angles can benefitfrom different weighting, such as a set of iron-type golf clubs havingdifferent centers of gravity. For example, a center of gravity that islower and/or farther backward can produce higher loft and lower spin onthe shot, while a center of gravity that is higher and/or fartherforward may produce lower loft, greater distance, and higher spin on theshot and/or greater control, each of which may be desirable in certainclubs or for certain golfers. Accordingly, club head features that canpermit the weighting and weight distribution of the head to be adjustedor customized may provide improved performance in several ways.

The present device and method are provided to address the problemsdiscussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages andaspects not provided by prior ball striking devices of this type. A fulldiscussion of the features and advantages of the present invention isdeferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The following presents a general summary of aspects of the invention inorder to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary isnot an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended toidentify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate thescope of the invention. The following summary merely presents someconcepts of the invention in a general form as a prelude to the moredetailed description provided below.

Aspects of the invention relate to ball striking devices, such as golfclubs, with a head that includes a face having a ball striking surfaceconfigured for striking a ball and a body connected to the face andextending rearward from the face. A face member forms the face, and abody member is connected to the face member and extends rearward fromthe face member to form at least a portion of the body. The body memberand/or the face member is formed at least partially of a polymermaterial, and has a doped portion containing a doping material dispersedwithin the polymer material. The doping material may have a differentdensity than the polymer material, such that the doped portion has adifferent density than the portions of the head not containing thedoping material. The face member may be formed primarily of a metallicmaterial in one embodiment. Additionally, the head may be completely orpartially coated with a particulate metallic nano-coating material.

According to one aspect, the polymer material of the body memberincludes at least one of the following materials: acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene, polyamide alloys, high density polyethylene (HDPE),styrene ethylene butylene styrene block copolymer, thermoplasticpolyurethane, other polyurethanes, rubber materials, silicones, andother polymers and copolymers, and combinations thereof. The dopingmaterial includes at least one of the following particulate materials:tungsten, stainless steel, brass, copper, lead, etc., as well asnon-metals such as various oxides, sulfates, etc. and combinationsthereof, or any other material or combination of such materials havingone or more desired properties,

According to another aspect, the body member further may comprise afiber reinforcing material engaged with the polymer material andreinforcing the polymer material.

According to a further aspect, the face member can be connected to thebody member in many different configurations. In one embodiment, theface member and the body member may have complementary mating structuresconnecting the face member to the body member. For example, one of theface member and the body member may have a projection and the other mayhave a receiver that receives the projection to connect the face memberto the body member. The face member and the body member may have adovetail mating structure, with appropriate proj ection(s) andrecess(es). The projection may be a ridge extending around at least aportion of the periphery of the face member, and the recess may be acomplementarily-shaped channel extending around at least a portion ofthe periphery of the body member. A bonding material (e.g., adhesives,cements, etc.) may additionally or alternately be used.

According to yet another aspect, the face member and the body member areconnected by forming the body member in connection to the face member ina co-molding process.

According to a still further aspect, the body member has a plurality ofdoped portions, each containing the doping material dispersed within thepolymer material, and the doped portions are positioned in differentlocations.

Additional aspects of the invention relate to an iron-type golf clubhead that includes a face member forming an iron-type face defined by aplurality of peripheral edges and having a ball striking surfaceconfigured for striking a ball, and a body member connected to the rearsurface of the face member and extending rearward from the face member,with the body member forming at least a portion of an iron-type bodyextending rearwardly from the peripheral edges of the face. The facemember is formed primarily of a metallic material, and the body memberis formed at least partially of a polymer material. The body member hasa doped portion containing a doping material dispersed within thepolymer material. The doping material has a different density than thepolymer material, such that the doped portion has a different densitythan the portions of the body member not containing the doping material.Any aspects described above also may be incorporated into this club headstructure.

According to another aspect, the face member is joined to the bodymember around at least a portion of a periphery of the face member.

Further aspects of the invention relate to a set of iron-type golf clubsthat includes six iron-type golf clubs, each having an iron-type golfclub head that includes a face defined by a plurality of peripheraledges, with the face having a ball striking surface configured forstriking a ball and an inner surface opposite the ball striking surface,and a body connected to the face and extending rearward from theperipheral edges of the face. The body is formed at least partially of apolymeric material having a doped portion containing a doping materialdispersed within the polymer material. The doping material has adifferent density than the polymer material, such that the doped portionhas a different density than a portion of the body not containing thedoping material. The six golf clubs have different loft angles thatincrease in a sequence, such that the loft angle of each of the golfclubs is about 5° greater than a previous golf club in the sequence.Such a set of clubs may also include one or more clubs of a differenttype, such as one or more wood-type clubs.

According to one aspect, the six golf clubs include a first club havinga loft angle of about 20°, a second club having a loft angle of about25°, a third club having a loft angle of about 30°, a fourth club havinga loft angle of about 35°, a fifth club having a loft angle of about40°, and a sixth club having a loft angle of about 45°.

According to another aspect, the set further includes a seventh club,such as a pitching wedge having a loft angle of about 50°, a gap wedgehaving a loft of about 55°, a lob wedge having a loft of about 60° or65°, or another wedge or longer iron club.

According to a further aspect, the set of golf clubs may havedifferently or progressively weighted heads. For example, at least oneof the six golf club heads has the doped portion located in a differentlocation relative to the doped portion of at least one other of the sixgolf club heads. As another example, each of the six golf club heads hasthe doped portion located in a different location relative to the dopedportions of each of the others of the six golf club heads. A set ofdifferently-weighted clubs may be progressively weighted, such as byprogressively moving the center of gravity of the club headtop-to-bottom and/or heel-to-toe as the clubs become progressivelylonger or shorter.

Still further aspects of the invention relate to methods that may beused in connection with a provided face member formed primarily of ametallic material. The face member forms a golf club face defined by aplurality of peripheral edges and having a ball striking surfaceconfigured for striking a ball and a rear surface located rearwardlyfrom the ball striking surface. The face member is positioned incommunication with a tool, such that at least a portion of the rearsurface of the face member is in communication with the tool. Then, apolymer material is introduced into contact with the tool such that thepolymer material contacts at least a portion of the tool and contactsthe rear surface of the face member. The polymer material forms a bodymember connected to the rear surface of the face member when the polymermaterial hardens or solidifies. The face member and the body membercombine to form a golf club head comprising the face and a bodyextending rearwardly from the face. Such methods may be consideredco-molding methods.

According to one aspect, the tool is a mold having a mold cavity. Thepolymer material is introduced into the mold cavity such that thepolymer material fills at least a portion of the mold cavity andcontacts the rear surface of the face member. The polymer material maybe introduced into the mold cavity by injection of the polymer materialin flowable form. In one example, the polymer material forms around aninterior surface of the mold cavity and is spaced from at least aportion of the rear surface of the face member, such that the facemember and the body member combine to define an interior cavity withinthe club head.

According to another aspect, a doping material is positioned proximatethe tool prior to introducing the polymer material into contact with thetool, such that the doping material becomes embedded within the polymermaterial when the polymer material is introduced into contact with thetool. The doping material has a different density than the polymermaterial, such that the doped portion has a different density than theportions of the body member not containing the doping material.

According to a further aspect, the face member has a mating structureand the polymer material forms the body member with complementary matingstructure. The mating structure may include a projection on the facemember, such that the polymer material forms around the projection toform a receiver that receives the projection to connect the face memberto the body member. In one example, the face member has a dovetailmating structure and the body member has a complementary dovetail matingstructure.

According to yet another aspect, a fiber reinforcing material ispositioned proximate the tool prior to introducing the polymer materialinto contact with the tool, such that the fiber reinforcing materialbecomes embedded within the polymer material when the polymer materialis introduced into contact with the tool.

According to a still further aspect, the polymer material contains afiber reinforcing material that is introduced into contact with the toolalong with the polymer material, such that the fiber reinforcingmaterial is embedded within the polymer material after the polymermaterial forms the body member. In one example, the polymer material andthe fiber reinforcing material may be formed together as a prepreg. Inthis configuration, the polymer material and the fiber reinforcingmaterial can be introduced into contact with the tool by placing theprepreg into contact with the tool. In another example, the polymermaterial may be in flowable form and the fiber reinforcing material maybe particles dispersed throughout the flowable material. In thisconfiguration, the polymer material and the fiber reinforcing materialcan be introduced into contact with the tool by injecting the polymermaterial into contact with the tool along with the dispersed fiberreinforcing material.

Other aspects of the invention relate to golf clubs that include a golfclub head as described above and a shaft connected to the head, or a setof golf clubs including at least one golf club having a head asdescribed above.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To allow for a more full understanding of the present invention, it willnow be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an illustrative embodiment of an iron-typeball striking device according to aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of an illustrative embodiment of a head of theball striking device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the head of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the head of FIG. 2, taken along lines4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is a cross-section view of the head as shown in FIG. 4, having acoating material disposed on an outer surface thereof;

FIG. 5 illustrates cross-section views, labeled 5A-5I, showingillustrative embodiments of iron-type ball striking heads as illustratedin FIG. 4, having doped portions positioned in different locations;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of one illustrative embodiment of amold and process capable of forming a head of a ball striking device asshown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the mold and process of FIG. 6,shown after a polymer material is introduced into a cavity of the mold;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of another illustrative embodiment ofa mold and process capable of forming a head of a ball striking device;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of a second illustrative embodiment of aniron-type ball striking head suitable for use with the ball strikingdevice of FIG. 1, having a dovetail-type mating connecting structure;

FIG. 8A is a rear view of a face member of the head of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of a third illustrative embodiment of aniron-type ball striking head suitable for use with the ball strikingdevice of FIG. 1, having a mating connecting structure;

FIG. 10 is a rear view of a fourth illustrative embodiment of aniron-type ball striking head suitable for use with the ball strikingdevice of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a cross-section view of the head of FIG. 10, taken alonglines 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a rear view of a fifth illustrative embodiment of aniron-type ball striking head suitable for use with the ball strikingdevice of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a cross-section view of the head of FIG. 12, taken alonglines 13-13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a cross-section view of a sixth illustrative embodiment of aniron-type ball striking head suitable for use with the ball strikingdevice of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of an illustrative embodiment of a set ofiron-type golf club heads, with the heads labeled 15A-15F in sequentialorder of increasing loft angle;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of an iron-type club head, illustratingchanges in position of a doped portion for club heads corresponding tothe set of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a rear view of one embodiment of the iron-type ball strikinghead of FIGS. 12 and 13;

FIG. 18 is a rear view of another embodiment of the iron-type ballstriking head of FIGS. 12 and 13; and

FIG. 19 is a of a further embodiment of the iron-type ball striking headof FIGS. 12 and 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various example structures according tothe invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, whichform a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustrationvarious example devices, systems, and environments in which aspects ofthe invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherspecific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, andenvironments may be utilized and structural and functional modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.Also, while the terms “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “side,” “rear,”and the like may be used in this specification to describe variousexample features and elements of the invention, these terms are usedherein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the exampleorientations shown in the figures or the orientation during typical use.Additionally, the term “plurality,” as used herein, indicates any numbergreater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary,up to an infinite number. Nothing in this specification should beconstrued as requiring a specific three dimensional orientation ofstructures in order to fall within the scope of this invention. Also,the reader is advised that the attached drawings are not necessarilydrawn to scale.

The following terms are used in this specification, and unless otherwisenoted or clear from the context, these terms have the meanings providedbelow.

“Ball striking device” means any device constructed and designed tostrike a ball or other similar objects (such as a hockey puck). Inaddition to generically encompassing “ball striking heads,” which aredescribed in more detail below, examples of “ball striking devices”include, but are not limited to: golf clubs, putters, croquet mallets,polo mallets, baseball or softball bats, cricket bats, tennis rackets,badminton rackets, field hockey sticks, ice hockey sticks, and the like.

“Ball striking head” means the portion of a “ball striking device” thatincludes and is located immediately adjacent (optionally surrounding)the portion of the ball striking device designed to contact the ball (orother object) in use. In some examples, such as many golf clubs andputters, the ball striking head may be a separate and independent entityfrom any shaft or handle member, and it may be attached to the shaft orhandle in some manner.

The terms “shaft” and “handle” are used synonymously and interchangeablyin this specification, and they include the portion of a ball strikingdevice (if any) that the user holds during a swing of a ball strikingdevice.

“Integral joining technique” means a technique for joining two or morepieces so that the pieces effectively become a single, integral piece,including, but not limited to, irreversible joining techniques, such asadhesively joining, cementing, and welding (including brazing,soldering, or the like), where separation of the joined pieces cannot beaccomplished easily and/or without structural damage to at least one ofthe pieces.

In general, aspects of this invention relate to ball striking devices,such as golf club heads, golf clubs, putter heads, putters, and thelike. Such ball striking devices, according to at least some examples ofthe invention, may include a ball striking head and a ball strikingsurface. In the case of a golf club, the ball striking surface is asubstantially flat surface on one face of the ball striking head(although, in some structures, the face may include some curvature,e.g., known as “bulge” and/or “roll”). Some more specific aspects ofthis invention relate to iron-type golf clubs and golf club heads,including long irons, short irons, wedges, etc. Alternately, someaspects of this invention may be practiced with hybrid clubs, chippers,and the like, or wood-type golf clubs and the like.

According to various aspects of this invention, the ball striking devicemay be formed of one or more of a variety of materials, such as metals(including metal alloys), ceramics, polymers, composites (includingfiber-reinforced composites), and wood, and may be formed in one of avariety of configurations, without departing from the scope of theinvention. In one illustrative embodiment, some or all components of thehead, including the face and at least a portion of the body of the head,are made of metal. It is understood that the head may contain componentsmade of several different materials, including carbon-fiber and othercomponents. Additionally, the components may be formed by variousforming methods. For example, metal components (such as titanium,aluminum, titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, steels (including stainlesssteels), and the like) may be formed by forging, molding, casting,stamping, machining, and/or other known techniques. In another example,composite components, such as carbon fiber-polymer composites, can bemanufactured by a variety of composite processing techniques, such asprepreg processing, powder-based techniques, mold infiltration, and/orother known techniques.

The various figures in this application illustrate examples of ballstriking devices according to this invention. When the same referencenumber appears in more than one drawing, that reference number is usedconsistently in this specification and the drawings refer to the same orsimilar parts throughout.

At least some examples of ball striking devices according to thisinvention relate to golf club head structures, including heads forwood-type golf clubs, such as drivers, as well as long iron clubs (e.g.,driving irons, zero irons through five irons), short iron clubs (e.g.,six irons through pitching wedges, as well as sand wedges, lob wedges,gap wedges, and/or other wedges), hybrid clubs, and putters. Suchdevices may include a one-piece construction or a multiple-piececonstruction. Example structures of ball striking devices according tothis invention will be described in detail below in conjunction withFIG. 1, which illustrates an example of a ball striking device 100 inthe form of an iron-type golf club, in accordance with at least someexamples of this invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a ball striking device 100 in the form of a golfiron, in accordance with at least some examples of this invention, andillustrative embodiments of heads 102, et seq., of ball striking devices100 of this type and methods of making them are shown in FIGS. 2-15. Thegolf club head 102 of FIG. 1 may be representative of any iron-type golfclub head in accordance with examples of the present invention. As shownin FIGS. 1-4, the ball striking device 100 includes a ball striking head102 and a shaft 104 connected to the ball striking head 102 andextending therefrom. The ball striking head 102 of the ball strikingdevice 100 of FIGS. 1-2 has a face 112 connected to a body 108, with ahosel 109 extending therefrom. Any desired hosel and/or head/shaftinterconnection structure may be used without departing from thisinvention, including conventional hosel or other head/shaftinterconnection structures as are known and used in the art, or anadjustable, releasable, and/or interchangeable hosel or other head/shaftinterconnection structure such as those shown and described in U.S. Pat.No. 6,890,269 dated May 10, 2005, in the name of Bruce D. Burrows, U.S.Published Patent Application No. 2009/0011848, filed on Jul. 6, 2007, inthe name of John Thomas Stites, et al., U.S. Published PatentApplication No. 2009/0011849, filed on Jul. 6, 2007, in the name of JohnThomas Stites, et al., U.S. Published Patent Application No.2009/0011850, filed on Jul. 6, 2007, in the name of John Thomas Stites,et al., and U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2009/0062029, filed onAug. 28, 2007, in the name of John Thomas Stites, et al., all of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the golf club head 102 includes a body member108, a face 112, and a hosel 109 extending from the body 108 forattachment of the shaft 104. For reference, the head 102 generally has atop 116, a bottom or sole 118, a heel 120 proximate the hosel 109, a toe122 distal from the hosel 109, a front 124, and a back or rear 126. Theshape and design of the head 102 may be partially dictated by theintended use of the device 100. The heel portion 120 is attached toand/or extends from the hosel 109 (e.g., as a unitary or integral onepiece construction, as separate connected elements, etc.). In theembodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, the face 112 and the hosel 109 are formedas a single, integral piece, such as by casting, forging, etc. to form aface member 140 as described below. In another embodiment, the face 112and the hosel 109 may be formed of two or more separate pieces that areconnected together by an integral joining technique or another joiningtechnique. It is understood that in each embodiment described herein,the face 112 and hosel 109 may be integrally formed as a single piece,or formed of separate pieces. In other applications, such as for adifferent type of golf club, the head may be designed to have differentdimensions and configurations.

The face 112 is located at the front 124 of the head 102, and has anouter surface 110, as well as an inner surface 111 located opposite theouter surface 110. The face 112 is defined by a plurality of peripheraledges, including a top edge 113, a bottom edge 115, a heel edge 117, anda toe edge 119. The face 112 also has a plurality of face grooves 121 onthe ball striking surface 110. For reference purposes, the portion ofthe face 112 nearest the top face edge 113 and the heel 120 of the head102 is referred to as the “high-heel area”; the portion of the face 112nearest the top face edge 113 and toe 122 of the head 102 is referred toas the “high-toe area”; the portion of the face 112 nearest the bottomface edge 115 and heel 120 of the head 102 is referred to as the“low-heel area”; and the portion of the face 112 nearest the bottom faceedge 115 and toe 122 of the head 102 is referred to as the “low-toearea”. Conceptually, these areas may be recognized and referred to asquadrants of substantially equal size (and/or quadrants extending from ageometric center of the face 112), though not necessarily withsymmetrical dimensions. For at least some types of club heads, the face112 may include some curvature in the top to bottom and/or heel to toedirections (e.g., bulge and roll characteristics), as is known and isconventional in the art for such clubs. As seen in the illustrativeembodiments in FIGS. 2-5, the ball striking surface 110 is inclined(i.e., at a loft angle), to give the ball an appreciable degree of liftand spin when struck. In other illustrative embodiments, the ballstriking surface 110 may have a different incline or loft angle, toaffect the trajectory of the ball.

The body 108 and the face 112 of the golf club head 102 may beconstructed from a wide variety of different materials, includingmaterials conventionally known and used in the art, such as steel,titanium, aluminum, tungsten, graphite, polymers, or composites, orcombinations thereof. Also, if desired, the club head 102 may be madefrom any number of pieces (e.g., having a separate face mask, etc.)and/or by any construction technique, including, for example, casting,forging, welding, and/or other methods known and used in the art.

The ball striking device 100 may include a shaft 104 connected to orotherwise engaged with the ball striking head 102, as shown in FIG. 1.The shaft 104 is adapted to be gripped by a user to swing the ballstriking device 100 to strike the ball. The shaft 104 can be formed as aseparate piece connected to the head 102, such as by connecting to thehosel 109, as shown in FIG. 1. In other illustrative embodiments, atleast a portion of the shaft 104 may be an integral piece with the head102, and/or the head 102 need not contain a hosel 109 or may contain aninternal hosel structure. Still further embodiments are contemplatedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. The shaft 104 may beconstructed from one or more of a variety of materials, includingmetals, ceramics, polymers, composites, or wood. In some illustrativeembodiments, the shaft 104, or at least portions thereof, may beconstructed of a metal, such as stainless steel or titanium, or acomposite, such as a carbon/graphite fiber-polymer composite. However,it is contemplated that the shaft 104 may be constructed of differentmaterials without departing from the scope of the invention, includingconventional materials that are known and used in the art. A gripelement 105 may be positioned on the shaft 104 to provide a golfer witha slip resistant surface with which to grasp golf club shaft 104, asshown in FIG. 1. The grip element 105 may be attached to the shaft 104in any desired manner, including in conventional manners known and usedin the art (e.g., via adhesives or cements, threads or other mechanicalconnectors, swedging/swaging, etc.).

In one exemplary embodiment, shown in FIGS. 3-4, the head 102 includes arear cavity 130 located behind the face 112, which is defined at leastpartially by the inner surface 111 of the face 112. As shown in FIGS.2-4, the body 108 further includes a sole body member 131 extendingrearward from the bottom edge 115 of the face 112 and defining a portionof the rear cavity 130. The rear cavity 130 may also be partiallydefined by peripheral or perimeter walls 133 extending rearward from theperipheral edges of the face 112, including from the top edge 113, theheel edge 117, and the toe edge 119 of the face 112. It is understoodthat the sole member 131, or a portion thereof, may be considered to bea peripheral wall 133 as that term is used herein. The peripheral walls133 follow the curvilinear contour of the body 108, and portions of therear cavity 130 are defined by the peripheral walls 133, including thesole member 131. Further, the head 102 of FIGS. 2-4 includes a rear wall132 extending upward from the rear of the sole member 131, and partiallydefining the rear cavity 130. In the embodiment shown, the rear wall 132extends the entire width of the rear cavity 130, and is connected to therear of the sole member 131 and the peripheral walls 133 on the heelside 120, the toe side 122, and the top side 116 of the head 102. Therear wall 132 may have a different thickness than other portions of thebody member 142, and in an alternate embodiment, may comprise a thinpolymer sheet that may be transparent and may influence impactattenuation and/or acoustic characteristics. In additional embodiments,the head 102 may have a differently configured sole member, cavity, orrear wall, or may not contain some of these components. For example, thefeatures described herein can be used in connection with the embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 8-15 and other known configurations for club heads,including other iron-type club head configurations, as well as hybridclub heads and wood-type club heads. As described below, the head 402 ofFIGS. 10-11 includes a rear wall 432 that extends completely across therear cavity 430 of the head 402, from the peripheral wall 433 on theheel side 420 to the peripheral wall 433 on the toe side 422, but onlyextends a portion of the distance from the sole member 431 to theperipheral wall 433 on the top side 416. Additionally, the head 502 ofFIGS. 12-13 has a rear cavity 532 with no rear wall extending upwardfrom the sole member 531, and the head 602 of FIG. 14 has a blade-typeconfiguration with a solid body 608 and no rear cavity.

In general, the head 102 is formed of at least two separate pieces,including a face member 140 and a body member 142 connected to the facemember 140. The face member 140 and the body member 142 combine todefine the head 102 and features thereof, including the face 112 and thebody 108 of the head 102, as described below. It is understood that eachof the face member 140 and/or the body member 142 individually may beformed of multiple pieces, and thus, the head 102 may be formed of twoor more pieces connected together.

The face member 140 generally includes and defines at least the face 112of the head 102, including the ball striking surface 110 and the innersurface 111. The face member 140 is also understood to have a rearsurface 141, which may include the inner surface 111 of the face 112. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the face member 140 includes the face112, as well as wall portions 127 that extend rearwardly on the edges113, 115, 117, 119 of the face 112 and form at least a part of theperipheral walls 133 (including the sole member 131). In otherembodiments, such as the embodiments shown in FIGS. 13-14 and describedin greater detail below, the face member 140 does not include therearwardly-extending wall portions 127. The face member 140 may be madeat least partially of a metallic material, and in one embodiment, atleast primarily of a metallic material, including the metallic materialsdescribed above. For example, the face member 140 may be formedprimarily, or at least partially, of a titanium alloy, a stainless steelalloy, or another material commonly used in forming iron-type clubheads, or combinations of such materials. In another embodiment, theface member 140 may be formed primarily, or at least partially, of apolymer material that may include a reinforcing material and/or a dopingmaterial, such as the materials described below with respect to the bodymember 142. Additionally, in one embodiment, the face member 140 isformed entirely of a single material, and may also be formed as a singlepiece. Further, the hosel 109 may also be formed of the samematerial(s), and may be part of an integral single-piece face member140. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, the hosel 109and the face member 140 are integrally formed as a single piece. Inanother embodiment, the hosel 109 may be joined to the face member 140and/or the body member 142, such as by using an integral joiningtechnique, to form a single, integral piece.

The body member 142 is connected to face member 140 and extendsrearwardly from the face member 140 to form at least a portion of thebody 108 of the club head 102. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, thebody member 142 is connected to the perimeter portions of the rearsurface 141 of the face member 140. In another embodiment, the bodymember 142 (or a portion thereof) and the face member 140 (or a portionthereof) may be formed of the same material, and may be formed of asingle, integral piece, such as shown in FIG. 7C. Additionally, asdescribed above, at least some portions of the body member 142 may bespaced from at least some portions of the rear surface 141 of the facemember 140 to create a rear cavity 130 behind the face 112 and withinthe head 102. In the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4, the face member 140 andbody member 142 define an enclosed rear cavity 130 that extends from thetop 116 to the sole 118 and from the heel 120 to the toe 122 of the head102. Further, in this embodiment, the peripheral walls 133, includingthe sole member 131, are formed partially by the rearwardly-extendingwall portions 127 of the face member 140 and partially by the bodymember 142. In other embodiments, the rear cavity 130 may be at leastpartially open, such as the rear cavities 430, 530 of the heads 402, 502in FIGS. 10-13, or may have a different configuration, or the head 102may have no rear cavity 130 at all, such as the head 602 in FIG. 14.

The body member 142 may be made from one or more of a variety ofmaterials, and the body member 142 may be made from a different materialthan the face member 140. As described above, in some embodiments, thebody member 142 and the face member 140 may be completely or partiallymade from the same material. In one embodiment, the body member 142and/or the face member 140 is made entirely, primarily, or at leastpartially from a polymer material. It is understood that a “polymermaterial” may include blends of different polymers, copolymers, etc. Inone embodiment, the body member 142 may also contain non-polymermaterials along with the polymer material, such as a reinforced polymercomposite material that includes a polymer material and a reinforcingmaterial such as a fiber engaged with the polymer material. Examples ofpolymer materials that can be used include acrylonitrile butadienestyrene (ABS), polyamide alloys (e.g., polyamide 6, polyamide 6/10,polyamide 6/6), high density polyethylene (HDPE), styrene ethylenebutylene styrene block copolymer (SEBS), thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU) or other polyurethane, rubber materials, silicones, and otherpolymers and copolymers. Examples of reinforcing materials that can beused include carbon/graphite fibers, glass fibers, basalt fibers, boronfibers, liquid crystal polymer fibers (e.g., Vectran) or otherpolymer-based fibers (e.g. UHMWPE, Kevlar, etc.). The polymer materialcan be formed using a variety of techniques, such as injection moldingor other molding techniques, prepreg processing or other compositeprocessing techniques, or other polymer processing techniques availableto those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the polymer material maybe lightweight, and the polymer material may be selected for otherproperties as well. For example, polymer materials with lowerflexibility may be selected for enhanced strength and/or rigidity, orpolymer materials with higher flexibility may be selected for soundand/or vibration dampening properties. As another example, polymermaterials may be selected for their thermal properties or ease ofprocessing. In another embodiment, the body member 142 may be formed ofanother material that does not contain any polymer material. Further,like the face member 140, the body member 142 may be formed of severalpieces or a single, integral piece, and may be formed from multiplepieces joined together by an integral joining technique.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the head 102 may also include a coatingmaterial 160 disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface of thehead 102. The coating material 160 may impart one or more desirableproperties to the coated portions of the head 102, including strength,hardness, visual appearance or other optical properties, frictionalproperties, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, or other properties.In one embodiment, the coating material 160 is a nano-coating material,such as a fine coating of metallic particles (e.g. nickel, iron, and/orzinc), which may be applied by spraying. This coating material 160 canadd structural strength and hardness, particularly to polymer-basedcomponents of the head 102, as well as creating a metallic appearance.The coating material 160 may also help bind different components of thehead 102 together, such as the face member 140 and the body member 142.As shown in FIG. 4A, the entire outer surface of the head 102 may becoated to create a uniform visual impression. In another embodiment, atleast the outer surface of the portion(s) of the head 102 that areformed of the polymer material are coated with the coating material 160.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, the body member 142 also containsa doping material that is dispersed throughout a portion of the materialof the body member 142, such as a powder or other particulate material.In general, the doping material has at least one different property fromthe material of the body member 142 and thereby changes the propertiesof the body member 142. In one embodiment, the doping material has agreater density than the material of the body member 142, so that thearea or areas where the doping material is located have a higher densityor weight than the other portions of the body member 142. This allowsthe weighting and the weight distribution of the body member 142 to becontrolled, adjusted, and/or customized. One example of a dense dopingmaterial that can be used is tungsten powder, although other densemetals or other materials may be used, including stainless steel, brass,copper, lead, etc., as well as non-metals such as various oxides,sulfates, etc. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the body member142 is formed of rubber doped with tungsten powder.

It is understood that the doping material may include more than onedifferent material substance, and that multiple doped portions may beprovided throughout the body member 142, and, if desired, these multipledoped portions may contain different doping materials. Additionally, inone embodiment, doped or weighted portions having substantiallyidentical sizes, but with densities that vary ten-fold, such as from1.2-12.0 g/cc, can be created by using different doping materials and/ordifferent volume fractions of doping materials in the doped portions. Inother embodiments, further weights and densities can be achieved. In oneembodiment, one or more of the doped portions containing the dopingmaterial may have a density of 9.0-10.0 g/cc.

FIGS. 5A-5I illustrate different embodiments of club heads 102A-I thathave similar structure to the head 102 of FIGS. 2-4, each having a dopedportion 144 positioned in different locations. FIG. 5A illustrates ahead 102A where the doped portion 144 comprises the entire body member142. FIG. 5B illustrates a head 102B where the doped portion 144comprises the entire face member 140. FIG. 5C illustrates a head 102Cwhere the doped portion 144 comprises an upper portion of the bodymember 142. FIG. 5D illustrates a head 102D where the doped portion 144comprises a lower portion of the body member 142. FIG. 5E illustrates ahead 102E where the face member 140 comprises a first doped portion 144Aand the body member 142 comprises a second doped portion 144B, with thefirst and second doped portions 144A,B having different dopingconfigurations. For example, the first and second doped portions 144A,Bmay have different doping materials, doping materials having differentproperties, etc. FIG. 5F illustrates a head 102F where the upper portionof the body member 142 comprises a first doped portion 144A and a lowerportion of the body member 142 comprises a second doped portion 144B,with the first and second doped portions 144A,B having different dopingconfigurations. FIG. 5G illustrates a head 102G where the doped portion144 is located within an internal cavity 130 of the head 102G. The dopedportion 144 could be formed along with the head 102G, such as shown inFIGS. 6-7 below, or may be an insert that is subsequently placed in thecavity 130. FIGS. 5H and 5I illustrate heads 102H and 1021 where thedoped portion 144 is a more discrete area of the head 102H, 1021 and iscompletely embedded within the body member 142.

In the heads 102C and 1021 of FIGS. 5C and 5I, the dense doping materialwould result in a higher center of gravity relative to the otherembodiments and relative to a non-doped head. In the heads 102D, 102F,102G, and 102H of FIGS. 5D, 5F, 5G, and 5H, the dense doped portion 144would result in a lower center of gravity relative to the otherembodiments and relative to a non-doped head. In the heads 102A and102C-I of FIGS. 5A, and 5C-5I, the dense doped portion 144 would resultin a center of gravity that is more rearward relative to the otherembodiments and relative to a non-doped head. In the head 102B of FIG.5B, the dense doped portion 144 would result in a center of gravity thatis more frontward relative to the other embodiments and relative to anon-doped head. It is understood that the embodiments of FIGS. 5A-5Iillustrate higher and lower portions of the head 102 being formed withdoping material, however in other embodiments, lateral portions of thehead may be formed with different weighting through the use of dopingmaterial, such as in FIGS. 17-19. Thus, a nearly infinite number ofweighting configurations are possible by positioning the doped portion144 in different locations in the body member 142, including changingthe weighting in the heel-to-toe direction as well. In otherembodiments, the head 102 may include multiple doped portions 144 thathave dispersed doping material.

The face and body members 140, 142 may be formed and connected in avariety of manners. For example, the face and body members 140, 142 maybe formed as separate pieces and connected together. In one illustrativeembodiment, the face and body members 140, 142 can be formed together ina co-molding process, as shown in FIGS. 6-7. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 6-7, the face member 140 may be formed using any techniquesdescribed herein, prior to the commencement of the co-molding process.In one embodiment, the face member 140 may be formed wholly or primarilyof a metallic material. The face member 140 may then be brought intocommunication with a tool T that is used for forming the body member142. In this embodiment, the tool T is a mold having a cavity C that canbe used for forming the body member 142, and the face member 140 isplaced into communication with the mold cavity C. At least a portion ofthe rear surface 141 of the face member 140 may be in communication with(e.g., exposed to the interior of) the cavity C, and in the embodimentshown in FIG. 6, the entire rear surface 141 of the face member 140 ispositioned within the mold cavity C. Once the face member 140 and thetool T are in position, the body member 142 can be formed using the toolT, such as by introducing a material M into contact with the tool T andthe face member 140 to form the body member 142 in connection with theface member 140. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the material Mis a flowable polymer material that is injected into the mold cavity Cthrough injection port P and fills at least a portion of the cavity C,forming around the cavity C and in contact with the rear surface 141 ofthe face member 140. It is understood that the tool T may containadditional structures for forming the flowable material M into the shapeof the body member 142, such as an inflatable bladder, a mold core,etc., or that gravity, fluid pressure, etc. could also be used to shapethe flowable material M. The material M can then harden and/or solidifyto form the body member 142. As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, thepolymer material M forms around the interior surface of the mold cavityC and is spaced from at least a portion of the rear surface 141 of theface member 140, such that the face member 140 and the body member 142combine to define the interior cavity 130.

In other embodiments, the material M may be introduced into contact withthe tool T in a different manner. For example, the material M may bepoured into the mold cavity C, or may be brought into contact with thetool T in a non-flowable form, such as a blank preform, a prepreg, etc.It is understood that as described above, the tool T may containadditional structures for forming the inside of the body member 142,such as an inflatable bladder, a mold core, etc. A different type oftool T may be used in other embodiments. Further, the tool T isillustrated as a two-piece mold that can be separated or opened in orderto bring the face member 140 into communication with the cavity C,although in other embodiments, the tool T may have a single-piececonfiguration or another multi-piece configuration.

The doping material may also be utilized in the process as illustratedin FIGS. 6-7. In one embodiment, a doped portion 144 is introduced intothe tool T before or after introducing the polymer material M intocontact with the tool T, as illustrated schematically in FIGS. 6-7. Forexample, the doped portion 144 may be positioned in contact with thetool T using a two-shot or multi-shot molding technique. In such atechnique, a loaded polymer material M′ is first shot into the tool T,or otherwise brought into contact with or placed in the tool T in theappropriate locations, as shown in FIG. 6, to form the doped portion144. The tool T may have suitable injection control mechanisms andfeatures, as known in the art. Thereafter, a non-doped polymer materialM is brought into contact with the tool T to create the rest of the partsuch as by injection, as shown in FIG. 7. The doped material M′ becomesat least partially connected to the polymer material M when the polymermaterial M is introduced into contact with the tool T, and is thereby atleast partially contained or dispersed within a portion of the bodymember 142 after the body member 142 hardens or solidifies. As shown inthis embodiment, the doped material M′ may also be in contact with theface member 140. The base polymer of the loaded polymer material M′ maybe the same or a similar material as the polymer material M, or it maybe a different material.

In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, both the face member140 and the body member 142 (or portions thereof) may be formed by atool T. For example, as described above, both the face member 140 andthe body member 142 may be formed of the same material and may be formedtogether by injecting the polymer material M into the tool T. FIG. 7Aillustrates this configuration, and it is understood that at least aportion of the face member 140 and/or the body member 142 may be formedof a doped material M′ as described above. As another example, the facemember 140 and the body member 142 may be formed of different polymermaterials that are both formed by using the tool T. Either or both ofthe face member 140 and the body member 142 may include a doped materialM′ as described above.

In a further embodiment, at least a portion of the face member 140and/or the body member 142 may be formed of a polymer material M, asshown in FIGS. 6-7A, and a doping material 144 may subsequently beembedded within the polymer material M. This can be done, for example,by using a pressurization technique.

As mentioned above, the co-molding process may also utilize areinforcing material to reinforce the polymer material M. In oneembodiment, a reinforcing material, such as a fiber, may be positionedin contact with or proximate the tool T prior to introducing the polymermaterial M into contact with the tool T. When the polymer material M isintroduced into contact with the tool T, the reinforcing materialbecomes embedded within the polymer material. In another embodiment, thepolymer material M may contain a reinforcing material that is introducedinto contact with the tool T along with the polymer material M, suchthat the fiber reinforcing material is embedded within the polymermaterial M after the polymer material M forms the body member. Forexample, the polymer material M and the reinforcing material may beformed together as a prepreg, and the polymer material and the fiberreinforcing material can be introduced into contact with the tool byplacing the prepreg into contact with the tool. As another example, thepolymer material M may be in flowable form and may have a particulatereinforcing material dispersed throughout the flowable material M. Thepolymer material and the fiber reinforcing material are introduced intocontact with the tool T by injecting the polymer material M into contactwith the tool T along with the dispersed fiber reinforcing material.

The face member 140 may be connected to the body member 142 through oneor more of many different connection configurations. The embodimentshown in FIGS. 2-4 does not illustrate any specific connectingstructure, and the face and body members 140, 142 may be connected asdepicted in FIGS. 2-4, such as by use of a bonding material, asdescribed below. In one embodiment, the face member 140 and the bodymember 142 of FIGS. 2-4 have complementary mating structures forconnection together. For example, one of the face and body members 140,142 may have a projection and the other may have a complementary recess,cavity, notch, etc., to receive the projection to connect the face andbody members 140, 142 together. Examples of such structures aredescribed in more detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 8-9. Asdescribed above, the face member 140 and the body member 142 (orportions thereof) may be formed of a single piece and/or a singlematerial in another embodiment.

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate two other embodiments of an iron-type head 202,302. Many features of the heads 202, 302 of FIGS. 8-9 are similar to thefeatures of the head 102 shown in FIGS. 2-4, and such similar featuresare identified by similar reference numerals in FIGS. 8-9 using the“2xx” and “3xx” series of reference numerals, respectively. Accordingly,certain features of the heads 202, 302 of FIGS. 8-9 that are alreadydescribed above may described below using less detail, or may not bedescribed at all. In the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 8A, the face and bodymembers 240, 242 are connected by a dovetail mating structure 250. Themating structure 250 includes at least one dovetail projection 252 onthe face member 240 that is received in at least one dovetail recess 254on the body member 242. The dovetail projections 252 illustrated inFIGS. 8 and 8A are located at the ends of the wall portions 227 thatextend rearwardly from the face 212. In this embodiment, the dovetailprojection 252 is in the form of a ridge 253 that extends around theperiphery of the rear surface 241 of the face member 240, as illustratedin FIG. 8A. Likewise, the recess 254 is in the form of a channel thatextends around the periphery of the front of the body member 242. It isunderstood that the face and body members 240, 242 may be connected bythe material M of the body member 242 forming around the dovetailprojection 252. That the face and/or body member 240, 242 mayadditionally or alternately contain structure to aid in snapping thecomponents together and/or separating the components.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the face and body members 340, 342 areconnected by a friction-fit or interference fit mating structure 350.The mating structure 350 includes at least one projection 352 on theface member 340 that is received in at least one complementary-shapedrecess 354 on the body member 342. The projection 352 illustrated inFIG. 9 is located at the ends of the wall portions 327 that extendrearwardly from the face 312, similar to the projection 252 in FIGS. 8and 8A. In this embodiment, the projection 352 is in the form of a ridge353 that extends around the periphery of the rear surface 341 of theface member 340, similar to the ridge 253 illustrated in FIG. 8A.Likewise, the recess 354 is in the form of a channel that extends aroundthe periphery of the front of the body member 342.

It is understood that the ridge-projections 252, 352 in FIGS. 8-9 aredepicted as a single uninterrupted ridge, but could also be in the formof several smaller ridges that may be disrupted or spaced from eachother, or more discrete structures that are farther separated from eachother, such as a series of post-like ridges. The channel-recesses 254,354 may be similarly configured. It is understood that the head 202, 302may include any number of projections 252, 352 and/or recesses 254, 354.In another embodiment, the orientation of the projection(s) andchannel(s) may be transposed, so that the body member 242, 342 has aprojection or other male-type mating structure and the face member 240,340 has a recess or other female-type mating structure. Optionally, eachpart 240, 242, 340, 342 may include a mixture of male and female typemating structures.

In further embodiments, the face member 240, 340 and the body member242, 342 may have additional types of mating connecting structure orother connecting structures. For example, the face and body members 240,340, 242, 342 may have other mechanical connecting structures, such aslap joints, fasteners, tabs or snap fitting arrangements, includingother complementary mating-type structures, and/or may include the useof a bonding material, such as adhesive, cement, welding, brazing,soldering, etc. It is understood that a combination of mechanicalconnecting structure and bonding material may be used in someembodiments, and that a bonding material may be used with theembodiments in FIGS. 8-9. Such complementary mating-type structures mayinclude any of various interlocking structures as well.

The complementary mating structures described herein can be utilized inconnection with a co-molding method as described above and illustratedin FIGS. 6-7. For example, with reference to the mating structure 250 ofthe head 202 of FIGS. 8 and 8A, the face member 240 may be inserted intothe mold tool T as described above, and the material M of the bodymember 242 may form around the projection 252. Thus, the recess 254 maybe inherently formed in the process of co-molding the body member 242with the face member 240. Other mating structures, such as the matingstructure 350 of FIG. 9, may also be formed in this manner.

Any of the features described above with respect to the embodiments inFIGS. 2-9 may be used in a wide variety of other golf club designs,including other iron-type golf club head designs such as those shown inFIGS. 10-14. For example, the use of doped portions 144, the connectionbetween the face members 140, 240, 340 and body members 142, 242, 342,and/or the use of the co-molding process that are described above andshown in FIGS. 2-9 can be incorporated into other types of golf clubheads, including the heads 402, 502, 602 of FIGS. 10-14. The embodimentsof heads 402, 502, 602 shown in FIGS. 10-14 are described in greaterdetail below.

FIGS. 10-11 illustrate one embodiment of a golf club head 402 that mayutilize one or more of the various features described above. Manyfeatures of the head 402 of FIGS. 10-11 are similar to the features ofthe head 102 shown in FIGS. 2-4, and such similar features areidentified by similar reference numerals in FIGS. 10-11 using the “4xx”series of reference numerals. Accordingly, certain features of the head402 of FIGS. 10-11 that are already described above may described belowusing less detail, or may not be described at all. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 10-11, the head 402 has a face member 440 that includesthe face 412 and wall portions 427 extending rearwardly from the face412. The body member 442 is connected to the rear surface 441 of theface member 440, but covers only the lower portions of the rear surface441 of the face member 440 and does not cover the entire rear surface441. In other words, the body member 442 is connected to the wallportions 427 of the face member 440 at the sole 418, the heel 420, andthe toe 422, but is not connected to the face member 440 around the top416. Additionally, the head 402 includes a partially-enclosed (orpartially-open) rear cavity 430 that is defined by the inner surface 411of the face 412, the peripheral walls 433, and a rear wall 432 thatextends upwardly from the sole member 431. In this embodiment, the rearwall 432 is a part of the body member 442 and extends completely acrossthe rear cavity 430 of the head 402, from the peripheral wall 433 on theheel side 420 to the peripheral wall 433 on the toe side 422, but onlyextends a portion of the distance from the sole member 431 to theperipheral wall 433 on the top side 416. As with the embodiment shown inFIGS. 2-4, no specific connecting structure is shown in the embodimentof FIGS. 10-11, however any of the connecting structures describedherein may be used to connect the face and body members 440, 442 in thisembodiment. Likewise, any of the materials and/or forming methodsdescribed herein, including the use of doping materials, may beincorporated into this embodiment.

FIGS. 12-13 illustrate another embodiment of a golf club head 502 thatmay utilize one or more of the various features described above. Manyfeatures of the head 502 of FIGS. 12-13 are similar to the features ofthe head 102 shown in FIGS. 2-4, and such similar features areidentified by similar reference numerals in FIGS. 12-13 using the “5xx”series of reference numerals. Accordingly, certain features of the head502 of FIGS. 12-13 that are already described above may described belowusing less detail, or may not be described at all. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 12-13, the head 502 has a face member 540 with aplate-like configuration that includes the face 512, with no wallportions (e.g. 127) extending rearwardly from the face 512. In thisembodiment, the rear surface 541 of the face member 540 may be embodiedentirely by the inner surface 511 of the face 512. The body member 542is connected to the rear surface 541 of the face member 540, around theperipheral edges 513, 515 of the face 512. Additionally, in thisembodiment, the head 502 has an open rear cavity 530 defined by theinner surface 511 of the face 512 and the peripheral walls 533, with norear wall extending upward from the sole member 531. As with theembodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, no specific connecting structure is shownin the embodiment of FIGS. 12-13, however any of the connectingstructures described herein may be used to connect the face and bodymembers 540, 542 in this embodiment. Likewise, any of the materialsand/or forming methods described herein, including the use of dopingmaterials, may be incorporated into this embodiment.

FIG. 14 illustrates another embodiment of a golf club head 602 that mayutilize one or more of the various features described above. Manyfeatures of the head 602 of FIG. 14 are similar to the features of thehead 102 shown in FIGS. 2-4, and such similar features are identified bysimilar reference numerals in FIG. 14 using the “6xx” series ofreference numerals. Accordingly, certain features of the head 602 ofFIG. 14 that are already described above may described below using lessdetail, or may not be described at all. In the embodiment shown in FIG.14, the head 602 has a face member 640 with a plate-like configurationthat includes the face 612, with no wall portions (e.g. 127) extendingrearwardly from the face 612. The body member 642 is connected to therear surface 641 of the face member 640, and forms a blade-type head 602with a solid body 608 and no rear cavity. As with the embodiment shownin FIGS. 2-4, no specific connecting structure is shown in theembodiment of FIG. 14, however any of the connecting structuresdescribed herein may be used to connect the face and body members 640,642 in this embodiment. Likewise, any of the materials and/or formingmethods described herein, including the use of doping materials, may beincorporated into this embodiment. In one example structure, the moredense, doped material may be provided around the perimeter to provide atleast some of the advantages of perimeter weighted irons while havingthe aesthetic appearance of blade type irons.

In further embodiments, features and techniques described herein,including the use of doped portions 144 may be utilized or incorporatedwithin other types of golf club heads or other ball-striking devices.For example, these features can be used in a wood-type golf club, suchas those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,993,216, which is hereby incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety and made part hereof.

Several different embodiments have been described above, including thevarious embodiments of golf clubs 100 and heads 102, 102A-C, 202, 302,402, 502, 602 and portions thereof described herein. It is understoodthat any of the features of these various embodiments may be combinedand/or interchanged. For example, as described above, various differentcombinations of face members 140, et seq. with differently configuredbody members 142, et seq. may be used, including the configurationsdescribed herein, variations or combinations of such configurations, orother configurations. Any of the face members 140, et seq. and the bodymembers 142, et seq. described herein can be used in combination,although some such combinations may require modification from thedepicted structures. As another example, any of the various dopingmaterials and configurations, connecting structures, materials, andforming methods described herein can be used with any other embodimentdescribed herein, or variations thereof. In further embodiments, atleast some of the features described herein can be used in connectionwith other configurations of iron-type clubs, wood-type clubs, othergolf clubs, or other types of ball-striking devices.

Heads 102, et seq. incorporating the features disclosed herein may beused as a ball striking device or a part thereof. For example, a golfclub 100 as shown in FIG. 1 may be manufactured by attaching a shaft orhandle 104 to a head that is provided, such as the head 102 as describedabove. “Providing” the head, as used herein, refers broadly to making anarticle available or accessible for future actions to be performed onthe article, and does not connote that the party providing the articlehas manufactured, produced, or supplied the article or that the partyproviding the article has ownership or control of the article. In otherembodiments, different types of ball striking devices can bemanufactured according to the principles described herein. In oneembodiment, a set of golf clubs can be manufactured, where at least oneof the clubs has a head according to one or more embodiments describedherein.

In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 15, a set of golf clubs 100 asdescribed above may contain a series of heads 10A-F, each having a ballstriking face 12A-F with progressively increasing loft angles. In theembodiment illustrated, the set includes six golf club heads 10A-F, withthe faces 12A-F increasing in loft angle in sequence by approximately 5°increments, from about 20° to about 45°, such that the loft angle ofeach of the heads 10A-F is about 5° greater than the previous head 10A-Fin the sequence. In other words, the heads 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, and10F have faces 12A-F that have loft angles of about 20°, 25°, 30°, 35°,40°, and 45°, respectively. A typical set of golf clubs 100 has sevenclubs 100 with loft angles increasing from about 19° to about 45°, andthus, has one additional golf club 100 compared to the set illustratedin FIG. 15. By reducing the number of clubs 100 in the set, the cost ofproducing the entire set is reduced. Accordingly, if more expensivetechniques and/or materials are used to produce a set of clubs, the setcan be produced at a more competitive cost. This may be advantageous, asat least some embodiments described herein may incorporate more costlytechniques and/or materials in production. It is understood that the setmay have at least one additional club 100, such as a pitching wedge, asand wedge, a gap wedge, a lob wedge, and/or another longer or shorteriron club, and may also be provided with one or more clubs of adifferent type, such as a wood and/or a putter.

A set of golf clubs 100 as described above may also be configured withprogressive weighting, such as the set of golf clubs shown in FIG. 15.For example, at least one of the six heads 10A-F may have the dopedportion located in a different location relative to the doped portion ofat least one other of the six heads 10A-F. In another example, each ofthe six heads 10A-F has the doped portion located in a differentlocation relative to the doped portions of each of the other heads10A-F. In one embodiment, described with respect to a head 102configured as shown in FIGS. 2-4, the weighting of the club head 102 maybe adjusted so that the position of the center of gravity may beprogressively moved from heel 120 toward the toe 122 as the club heads102 progress from longer to shorter irons. Likewise, the position of thecenter of gravity of the head 102 can be adjusted upward or downward asdesired. In one example, the center of gravity may be lower on longerirons, in order to better facilitate getting the ball airborne, and maybe higher on shorter irons, in order to achieve greater control. FIG. 16schematically illustrates one embodiment of this progressive weighting,with respect to the set of club heads 10A-F shown in FIG. 15,illustrating the doped portion 144 being located lower and more towardthe heel 120 in the longest iron head 10A and moving higher and towardthe toe 122 as the irons progress from long to short (i.e.,10A-10B-10C-10D-10E-10F). In another example embodiment, various bodymembers 142, et seq. with doped portions 144 as described above can beused to customize one or more golf clubs, or even a set of golf clubs,for a particular golfer, based on swing characteristics of the golferfor a particular club or clubs. For example, if a golfer has troubleclosing the face while swinging a particular iron, more weight may beadded to the heel 120, et seq. of that club head 102, et seq. As anotherexample, the weighting of the head 102, et seq. may be adjusted tocompensate for a common hitting pattern, such as if a golfer frequentlystrikes the ball in a specific location on the face 112, et seq. Infurther embodiments, still other types of progressive weighting can beutilized.

Additionally, as described above, the head 102, et seq., golf club 100,or other ball striking device may be fitted or customized for a personby custom fitting, which may include selecting a specific body member142, et seq., with desired weighting characteristics and connecting thebody member 142, et seq., to a selected face member 140, et seq.Further, in one embodiment, the body member 142, et seq., may beremovable from the face member 140, et seq. In this configuration, thehead 102, et seq., may be further customizable by removing one bodymember 142, et seq., and interchanging it with another body member 142,et seq., with a different shape, weighting configuration, or othercharacteristic. Various other different configurations are possible, andvarious other club heads may be designed for various performancecharacteristics.

Further, heads 102, et seq., as shown and described herein may includethe doping material and the doped portion(s) 144 in any position orconfiguration. For example, as described above, lateral portions (e.g.heel 120 and/or toe 122 portions) of the heads 102, et seq., may includedoped portions. FIGS. 17-19 illustrate examples of such embodiments. Asshown in FIG. 17, the head 502 includes doped portions 544A that formthe outer perimeter portions of the sole 518 and the lower portions ofthe heel 520 and toe 522. This creates a weighting configuration thatlowers the center of gravity and increases the moment of inertia of theclub head 502. The head 502 shown in FIG. 18 includes a doped portion544B that forms the portions of the sole 518 located toward the toe 522,as well as the lower portions of the toe 522. This creates a weightingconfiguration that moves the center of gravity lower and toward the toe522. The head 502 shown in FIG. 19 includes a doped portion 544C thatforms the portions of the sole 518 located toward the heel 520, as wellas the lower portions of the heel 520. This creates a weightingconfiguration that moves the center of gravity lower and toward the heel520. In other embodiments, other configurations can be used to achievedifferent weighting configurations, and in further embodiments, similarconfigurations can be used with other club heads. As another example,the doped portion(s) 144 may form a larger proportion of the club head102, et seq., and in one embodiment, the majority of the body member142, et seq., may contain the doping material, and weightingcharacteristics may instead be controlled by adjusting the positions ofthe non-doped portions.

The ball striking devices and heads therefor as described herein providemany benefits and advantages over existing products. For example, theuse of the doping material in specific locations on a club head can beused to control the weighting of the club head, including the weight,weight distribution, moment of inertia, etc. This permits club headdesigners to manipulate the weighting and weight distribution (includingCOG, MOI, etc.) within the framework of a typical club design, which canreduce or eliminate the need to use a radical geometry. As one example,a standard blade-type iron configuration can be manufactured with anumber of different weighting configurations without significant changesin geometry. Additionally, weighted body members 142, et seq., asdescribed herein can be used with a set of golf clubs to createprogressive weighting or customized weighting among the clubs of theset. Further, the reduction in the number of clubs in a set may permitmore expensive techniques and/or materials to be used in production,while maintaining the ability to offer the set at a reasonable price.Still further benefits and advantages may be recognizable by thoseskilled in the art.

While the invention has been described with respect to specific examplesincluding presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variationsand permutations of the above described systems and methods. Thus, thespirit and scope of the invention should be construed broadly as setforth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An iron-type golf club head comprising: a facemember comprising a hosel, a substantially flat ball striking surfaceconfigured for striking a ball defined by a plurality of peripheraledges, and a peripheral wall extending rearwardly from a portion of theplurality of peripheral edges of the face member, wherein the facemember is formed primarily of a metallic material, and wherein the facemember has a loft angle in a range of about 20° to about 65°; a bodymember connected to at least a portion of the peripheral wall of theface member, wherein the body member is formed at least partially of apolymer material, and wherein the body member extends from a heel sideof the peripheral wall of the face member to a toe side of theperipheral wall of the face member; wherein the face member and the bodymember form an open rear cavity; and wherein the body member has a fiberreinforced portion containing a fiber reinforcing material within thepolymer material.
 2. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, whereinthe peripheral wall of the face member extends rearwardly around all ofthe plurality of peripheral edges of the face member.
 3. The iron-typegolf club head of claim 2, wherein the body member is connected aroundthe entire peripheral wall.
 4. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1,wherein the entire body member contains the fiber reinforcing material.5. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body memberextends rearward from the face member.
 6. The iron-type golf club headof claim 1, wherein the face member and the body member are connected byforming the body member in connection to the face member in a co-moldingprocess.
 7. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the facemember is connected to the body member using a lap joint.
 8. Theiron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body member furthercomprises a doped portion containing a doping material dispersed withinthe polymer material, wherein the doping material has a higher densitythan the polymer material.
 9. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1,wherein the face member and the body member have complementary matingstructures connecting the face member to the body member.
 10. Theiron-type golf club head of claim 9, wherein one of the face member andthe body member has a projection and another of the face member and thebody member has a receiver that receives the projection to connect theface member to the body member.
 11. The iron-type golf club head ofclaim 10, wherein the projection comprises a ridge extending around atleast a sole portion of a periphery of the face member.
 12. An iron-typegolf club head comprising: a face member comprising a hosel, a facehaving a substantially flat ball striking surface configured forstriking a ball, and a portion of a sole formed of a metallic material,wherein the face member is formed primarily of a metallic material, andwherein the face has a loft angle of about 20° to about 65°; a bodymember connected to the face member and forming at least a portion of aniron-type body extending rearward from the face, wherein the body memberis formed at least partially of a polymer material, and wherein the bodymember extends from a heel side of the face member to a toe side of theface member; wherein the face member and the body member form an openrear cavity; wherein the body member has a fiber reinforced portioncomprising the polymer material and containing a fiber reinforcingmaterial within the polymer material; and wherein the fiber reinforcedportion is connected to the face member by forming the polymer materialof the fiber reinforced portion in connection with the face member usinga co-molding process.
 13. The iron-type golf club head of claim 12,wherein the entire body member has the fiber reinforcing materialengaged with the polymer material and reinforcing the polymer material.14. The iron-type golf club head of claim 12, wherein the face memberand the body member have complementary mating structures connecting theface member to the body member.
 15. The iron-type golf club head ofclaim 14, wherein one of the face member and the body member has aprojection and another of the face member and the body member has areceiver that receives the projection to connect the face member to thebody member.
 16. The iron-type golf club head of claim 14, wherein theface member has a dovetail mating structure and the body member has acomplementary dovetail mating structure.
 17. The iron-type golf clubhead of claim 14, wherein the complementary mating structures compriseseveral structures spaced apart from each other.
 18. The iron-type golfclub head of claim 12, wherein the body member further comprises a dopedportion containing a doping material dispersed within the polymermaterial, wherein the doping material has a higher density than thepolymer material.
 19. A set of iron-type golf clubs comprising: sixiron-type golf clubs, each having an iron-type golf club headcomprising: a hosel, a face member having a substantially flat ballstriking surface configured for striking a ball defined by a pluralityof peripheral edges, wherein the face member has a peripheral wallextending rearwardly from the plurality of peripheral edges, wherein theface member is formed primarily of a metallic material, and wherein theface member has a loft angle of about 20° to about 65°; a body memberconnected to at least a portion of the peripheral wall, the body memberforming at least a portion of an iron-type body extending rearward fromthe face, wherein the body member is formed at least partially of apolymer material, and wherein the body member extends from a heel sideof the face member to a toe side of the face member; wherein the bodymember has a fiber reinforced portion containing a fiber reinforcingmaterial dispersed within the polymer material; and wherein the facemember and the body member form an open rear cavity.
 20. The set ofiron-type golf clubs of claim 19, wherein the six iron-type golf clubshave different loft angles that increase in a sequence, such that theloft angle of each of the iron-type golf club head is about 5° greaterthan the loft angle of a previous iron-type golf club head in thesequence.